The present invention relates in general to telephone systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to telephone systems that offer least cost routing of long distance or international telephone calls to their subscribers.
A residential long distance subscriber (also referred to herein as a xe2x80x9ccalling partyxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cuserxe2x80x9d) typically has a long distance carrier to handle all the long distance calls (and international calls) made by the subscriber. The long distance calls made by the subscriber are automatically routed to the long distance carrier when the subscriber uses the conventional xe2x80x9c1+xe2x80x9d dialing scheme. In addition, the subscriber may, at any time, dial around the network and select a specific long distance carrier for that call. The dial around process typically includes dialing xe2x80x9c101xe2x80x9d+xe2x80x9cXXXXxe2x80x9d followed by the long distance number, where xe2x80x9cXXXXxe2x80x9d is reserved for a specific carrier or long distance plan.
Various long distance carriers have different rate plans depending on the calling number, the called number, the time of day, and/or the day of the week, for example. It is desirable for a user to use the most cost effective carrier/rate plan for each individual call. However, it is difficult for a user to remember the most cost effective carrier/rate plan at a given time/date for a certain destination. Certain internet web sites provide this information, but it is cumbersome for a user to access these web sites prior to each long distance or international call.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method that allows a user to determine and access the most cost effective carrier/rate plan for individual calls at a particular time and/or day.
The present invention is directed to systems and methods for routing a call from a calling party to a called party in which an incoming call request is received from the calling party, and a carrier is then determined based on the incoming call request and a set of routing instructions. The call is processed or otherwise routed using the determined carrier.
According to aspects of the invention, receiving the incoming call request comprises receiving a telephone number to be called, and determining the carrier comprises comparing a prefix of the telephone number to the set of routing instructions.
According to further aspects of the invention, the set of routing instructions comprises a routing table comprising a plurality of carriers and associated destination prefixes. Moreover, the set of routing instructions may comprise associated times of day and/or associated days of week.
According to other aspects of the invention, it is determined if the calling party is a subscriber (authorized user or calling party) prior to the determination of the carrier. If the calling party is a subscriber then the carrier is based on the incoming call request and the set of routing instructions; otherwise, the carrier is set to a default carrier.
According to additional aspects of the invention, determining the carrier comprises comparing a prefix of the telephone number to be called contained in the incoming call request to the set of routing instructions, and if there is a carrier corresponding to the prefix, then determining the carrier to be the corresponding carrier, and otherwise determining the carrier to be a default carrier.